Information Sheet
VARIETIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PASTRY PRODUCTS
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:
1. Identify the different varieties of pastry products.
2. Determine the good characteristics of pastry.
This information sheet will give you information about varieties and
characteristics of pastry products.
Pastry by definition is a mixture of wheat flour, fats, salt and water. Eggs,
cheese or sugar can be added for a richer dough. Pastry comes available in
several forms or types.
Characteristics of good pastry
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Lightness- not heavy, doughy or soggy.
Flakiness (in puff, rough and flaky)- layers of dough should have thin flakes;
crust should be flaky with lots of very tiny blisters on the surface.
Tenderness- beaks easily when bitten or cuts readily with a fork without
crumble.
Shortness- shortcrust pastry should crumble easily without breaking up
Acceptable flavour.
VARIETIES OF PASTRY PRODUCTS
Shortcrust pastry
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Shortcrust is the simplest and most common pastry. It is made with flour, fat,
butter, salt, and water to bind the dough. This is used mainly in tarts. The
process of making pastry includes mixing of the fat and flour, adding water,
and rolling out the paste. The fat is mixed with the flour first, generally by
rubbing with fingers or a pastry blender, which inhibits gluten formation by
coating the gluten strands in fat and results in a short , tender pastry. A
related type is the sweetened sweetcrust pastry, also known as pâte sucrée,
in which sugar and egg yolks have been added to bind the pastry.
Savoury Shortcrust Sweet Shortcrust
Here are the 2 separate formulas in making sweet shortcrust.
2:1:1–2 Flour: 1 Sugar: 1 Fat
3:2:1–3 Flour: 2 Sugar: 1 Fat
Both of these formulas will use egg or water as a binding agent in the closing
stages of mixing. Both formulas can have an aeration agent added to give a
lighter eating texture. Refer to recipes in Appendices in back of manual.
In preparing a shortcrust, the fat and flour are "cut" into each other, rather
than blended, and the ingredients are kept cold. This ensures that the fat
remains distinct in the crust, and when it heats during baking, steam is
released, resulting in the pockets that make a flaky crust. Water is only added
once the fat and flour are thoroughly combined. This ensures that the flour
granules are adequately coated with fat and are less likely to develop gluten.
This may be achieved with the use of a food processor, a specialized kitchen
utensil called a pastry blender, or through various alternatives, like a pair of
table knives held in one hand.
Puff Pastry
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Puff pastry has many layers that cause it to expand or "puff" when baked. Puff
pastry is made using a laminated dough consisting of flour, butter, salt, and
water. The pastry rises up due to the water and fats expanding as they turn
into steam upon heating.[8] Puff pastries come out of the oven light, flaky, and
tender.
Lamination aeration is the rolling and folding of pastry so that individual layers
of fat and dough are formed. The fat turns into oil when the pastry enters the
oven; it keeps the layers of dough separate. The water in the dough turns to
steam and forces the layers of fat apart by its pressure.
Overworking the dough is also a hazard. Overworking elongates the gluten
strands, creating a product that is tough, rather than light and crumbly or flaky.
Weak protein flour like cake flour is used for pastry making because it does
not become overworked and tough as easily as bread flour.
The production of puff pastry dough can be time-consuming, because it must
be kept at a temperature of approximately 16 °C (60 °F) to keep shortening
from becoming runny, and must rest in between folds to allow gluten strands
time to link up and thus retain layering.
Methods of making puff pastry
All production processes have one important factor in common–they depend
for success on the separation of dough layers by fat layers. The same recipe
is used for each method. The main processes for making puff pastry are
distinguished by the means by which the fat is incorporated. These processes
are:
French and English roll-in method -flour/water dough are made and the fat
is layered and rolled in, following a specific process. This method is
producing a pastry that is fine and even, it is mostly used for products like
Chaussons, vol au vents and Pithiviers
Scotchchop-in method - the fat is incorporated during the dough mixing
process and is dispersed roughly through the dough. This method
produces a more flaky pastry, as compared to the above method. It is only
suitable where scrap pastry would normally be used, especially for pies,
cream puffs or fleurons.
English method
Mix the dough ingredients until smooth
Mould into a ball, cover and rest for 20 - 30 min (relaxes the dough –
Proteolytic Enzyme action)
Prepare the fat to the same consistency as the dough Pin out the fat to
a rectangle
Pin out the dough to a rectangle 1/2 as long again as the fat and 3 - 4 cm
wider, brush off any flour
Place the butter or pastry margarine on top of the dough, as in diagram 1.
Brush any flour of the dough which has no fat on it and fold it over onto
the portion which is covered with the fat, as in diagram 2, then fold the
dough with the fat uppermost over (diagram 3 shows the side view at this
stage. Dough Diagram 2 Diagram 3 Pin the dough out to +/- 5mm
thickness and give the required number of half turns or book folds with the
appropriate rests in between turns.
French method
Mix the dough ingredients until smooth.
Mould into a ball, cut a cross on top, cover and rest for 20 - 30 Min
(relaxes the dough - Proteolytic Enzyme action).
Prepare the fat to the same consistency as the dough and shape it to a
square. Pull down the points forming the cross and pin out the dough to
form a star or square, brush off any flour. Place the fat on top of the
dough.
Brush off any flour of the dough flaps and fold them over onto the fat
making sure to envelope the fat in well.
Using a rolling pin carefully, with even pressure, roll out the dough into a
rectangle.
Pin the dough out to +/- 5mm thickness and give the required number of
half turns or book folds with the appropriate rest in between turns.
Scotch (Blitz) method
Cut the pastry margarine into cubes and add to the dry ingredients
Add the water and mix the dough until it has just cleared (it should still
have lumps of fat showing) Do not develop
Form into a rectangle or square and brush off any flour
Pin the dough out to +/- 5mm thickness and give the required number of
half turns or book folds with the appropriate rests in between turns.
Alternate Method
Cut the pastry margarine into cubes
Mix the dough ingredients until smooth
Add the pastry margarine cubes and mix the dough until it has just
cleared (it should still have lumps of fat showing)
Form into a rectangle or square and brush off any flour
Pin the dough out to +/- 5mm thickness and give the required number of
half turns or book folds with the appropriate rests in between turns
Resting, rolling and cutting out of pastry.
The number of folds is also important for the following reasons:
Too few folds will result in irregular and uneven lift, and the loss of fat
during baking
Too many folds will cause the layers to merge, resulting in a breakdown of
lamination and a shortening of the structure.
Provided that proper resting periods have been given during processing, it is
not necessary to rest the cut out pieces prior to baking.
Choux Pastry
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Choux pastry is a very light pastry that is often filled with cream. Unlike other
types of pastry, choux is in fact closer to a dough before being cooked which
gives it the ability to be piped into various shapes such as the éclair and
profiterole. Its name originates from the French choux, meaning cabbage,
owing to its rough cabbage-like shape after cooking.
Choux begins as a mixture of milk or water and butter which are heated
together until the butter melts, to which flour is added to form a dough. Eggs
are then beaten into the dough to further enrich it. This high percentage of
water causes the pastry to expand into a light, hollow pastry. Initially, the
water in the dough turns to steam in the oven and causes the pastry to rise;
then the starch in the flour gelatinizes, thereby solidifying the pastry. Once the
choux dough has expanded, it is taken out of the oven; a hole is made in it to
let the steam out. The pastry is then placed back in the oven to dry out and
become crisp. The pastry is filled with various flavors of cream and is often
topped with chocolate. Choux pastries can also be filled with ingredients such
as cheese, tuna, or chicken to be used as appetizers.
Phyllo or Filo Pastry
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Phyllo or Filo is a paper-thin pastry dough that is used in many layers. The
phyllo is generally wrapped around a filling and brushed with butter before
baking. These pastries are very delicate and flaky.
Filo dough is made with flour, water and a small amount of oil. Homemade
Filo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single
thin and very large sheet. A very big table is used, preferably with a marble
top. If the dough is stretched by hand, a long, thin rolling pin is used, with
continual flouring between layers to prevent the sheets from sticking to one
another.In modern times, mechanical rollers are also used. Prior to World War
I, households in Istanbul typically had two filo makers to prepare razor thin
sheets for baklava, and the relatively thicker sheets used for börek. Fresh and
frozen versions are prepared for commercial markets.
Hot water crust pastry
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Hot water crust pastry is used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies
and, more rarely, steak and kidney pies. Hot water crust is traditionally used
for making hand-raised pies. The usual ingredients are hot water, lard and
flour, the pastry is made by heating water, melting the fat in this, bringing to
the boil, and finally mixing with the flour. This can be done by beating the flour
into the mixture in the pan, or by kneading on a pastry board. Either way, the
result is a hot and rather sticky paste that can be used for hand-raising:
shaping by hand, sometimes using a dish or bowl as an inner mould. As the
crust cools, its shape is largely retained, and it is filled and covered with a
crust, ready for baking. Hand-raised hot water crust pastry does not produce a
neat and uniform finish, as there will be sagging during the cooking of the
filled pie, which is generally accepted as the mark of a hand-made pie
Self- Check 2.2-1
Multiple Choice : Select the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. A mixture of wheat flour, fats, salt and water. Eggs, cheese or sugar can be
added for a richer dough. Pastry comes available in several forms or types.
a. Pasta
b. Pizza
c. Dougnut
d. Pastry
2. A good characteristic of a pastry wherein beaks easily when bitten or cuts
readily with a fork without crumble.
a. Lightness
b. Shortiness
c. Tenderness
d. Flakiness
3. A good characteristic of a pastry wherein pastry can crumble easily without
breaking up acceptable flavour.
a. Lightness
b. Shortness
c. Tenderness
a. Flakiness
4. The simplest and most common pastry. It is made with flour, fat, butter,
salt, and water to bind the dough. This is used mainly in tarts.
a. Puff pastry
b. Shortcrust pastry
c. Choux pastry
d. Filo pastry
5. A very light pastry that is often filled with cream.
a. Puff pastry
b. Shortcrust pastry
c. Choux pastry
d. Filo pastry
6. Used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies and, more rarely,
steak and kidney pies.
a. Puff pastry
b. Choux pastry
c. Filo pastry
d. Hot water crust pastry
7. A paper-thin pastry dough that is used in many layers. The phyllo is
generally wrapped around a filling and brushed with butter before baking.
These pastries are very delicate and flaky.
a. Puff pastry
b. Filo pastry
c. Choux pastry
d. Hot water crust pastry
8. This method produces a more flaky pastry, as compared to the above
method. It is only suitable where scrap pastry would normally be used,
especially for pies, cream puffs or fleurons.
a. English method
b. French method
c. Scoth method
d. Alternate method
9. Characteristic of pastry where the layers of dough should have thin flakes;
crust should be flaky with lots of very tiny blisters on the surface.
a. Lightness
b. Flakiness
c. Shorthness
d. Tenderness
ANSWER KEY
1. D
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. C
6. D
7. B
8. C
9. B
